Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

Aurora Ruiz-Herrera @aruizherrera.bsky.social · 1d

RIP John Gurdon

10 25

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

Omaya Dudin 𓂆 ¦🍉¦🦠¦🔬¦ @dudinlab.bsky.social · 1d

RIP. He changed Dev Bio in so many ways.

Seema Grewal @seemagrewal.bsky.social · 1d

So sad to hear the news - John truly was an inspiration to so many, and one of a kind.

www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...

Nobel Laureate Professor Sir John Gurdon dies aged 92

It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute.

www.cam.ac.uk

1 3 15

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · 2d

This year's Crick @crick.ac.uk PhD programme is open for applications

- £27,715 tax-free student stipend per year for 4 years
- Tuition fees paid
- Student visa fee & health surcharges covered

Deadline 5 Nov

We have a project available. For all the details visit:

www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...

Briscoe Lab | Cellular Dynamics and Pattern Formation in Vertebrate Development

www.crick.ac.uk

7 9

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

Adria LeBoeuf @adriatica.bsky.social · 3d

These are hilarious.

profserious @profserious.bsky.social · 3d

Here are your 10 -essential- AI prompts for academics ... make your life easy with help from @profserious.bsky.social profserious.substack.com/p/10-ai-prom...

10 AI Prompts for Academics

making those hard jobs a little easier ...

profserious.substack.com

1 4 4

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 3d

Could start machine gunning people in the channel. Never ask how things can get worse, they almost always can.

1 1

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

Simon Gosden @simongosden.bsky.social · 4d

Today is the 89th anniversary of The Battle of Cable Street when the people of the East End of London halted the march of Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts through Stepney.

18 270 860

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 6d

Just yesterday it was announced that they are going to absolosh family reunion visas.

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 6d

Not so . Its all well and good to call reform racist. But if your solution is do the same, but slightly toned down, then I'm not sure it makes me feel better. It's like "Policy X is clearly an racist dog whistle, that's why we are proud to announce we'll be doing Xish "

1

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 7d

Fantastic essay on "the essay" by Zadie Smith

www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

The Art of the Impersonal Essay, by Zadie Smith

In my experience, every kind of writing requires some kind of self-soothing Jedi mind trick, and, when it comes to essay composition, the rectangle is mine.

www.newyorker.com

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · 8d

People are panning this article because current AI systems aren’t sentient - and those people are right, they’re not.

BUT.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 8d

It’s time to prepare for AI personhood | Jacy Reese Anthis

Technological advances will bring social upheaval. How will we treat digital minds, and how will they treat us?

www.theguardian.com

2 2 5

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 8d

I did say it wasn't unaffordable for most people, but they sell all their tickets, so it can't be a barrier to the profitability. It wouldn't lose less money if it were cheaper.

4

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 8d

Given that's its almost always sold out, I'm not sure the price being too high is the problem.

1 6

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 8d

The same author's account of the public human genome project (co-authored with John Sulston) "the common thread" is equally good BTW.
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

2

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 8d

I cannot recommend the Georgina Ferry's biography of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin enough. A fascinating and engaging account of an amazing life. But someone I knew much about before, but an instant new scientific hero.
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/doro...

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin: Patterns, Proteins and Peace: A Life in Science

Patterns, Proteins and Peace: A Life in Science

uk.bookshop.org

1 2

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 8d

I wish more people got this. Science is inefficient. I'd say probably say inherently inefficient. I know we all want to hurry up and make the world a better place with those tax dollars, but I believe the harder we try to rush things, the less effective we will be in the long run.

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 8d

"Science is not broken, and it most certainly is not dying. It is an inefficient human activity....When we catastrophize, we feed a disillusionment which political actors can weaponize to get rid of scientific evidence they find inconvenient."

#AcademicSky 🧪

Henning Dekant 📎 @quaxquax.bsky.social · 9d

Difficult for me to put into words how disappointed I am in Sabine Hossenfelder. Many years back when she was just blogging about physics I was a huge fan, and she published a lot of intriguing papers. Now she makes money as a social media arsonist. 🧪
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

3 7 47

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 8d

"Science is not broken, and it most certainly is not dying. It is an inefficient human activity....When we catastrophize, we feed a disillusionment which political actors can weaponize to get rid of scientific evidence they find inconvenient."

#AcademicSky 🧪

Henning Dekant 📎 @quaxquax.bsky.social · 9d

Difficult for me to put into words how disappointed I am in Sabine Hossenfelder. Many years back when she was just blogging about physics I was a huge fan, and she published a lot of intriguing papers. Now she makes money as a social media arsonist. 🧪
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Sabine Hossenfelder Asks If Science Is Dying. It’s Not.

Physics is dying. It’s mathematical fiction. Science is failing. Most of academic research that your taxes pay for is almost certainly bullshit. I don’t trust scientists. Would you believe me if I tol...

www.mcgill.ca

5 14 48

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 9d

Basically the same as corn syrup, but made with cane sugar, rather than corn. Yellow in colour, slightly caramel in flavour.

1

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 9d

Like a granola bar but with no nut or seeds or grains other than oats, and more butter and sugar.

3

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 10d

Thus, this isn't really me complaining about low pay in Biosciences, but saying that Histroians, Geographers and polical scientists can also get good jobs, and encouraging us not to look down on those degrees.

1

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 10d

This is definately a big factor.

But for this to be the case, you both require that bioscientists stay in academia at a higher rater (almost certainly true), but also that historians can get good jobs (most historians I knew at uni when off to work in The City).

1

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 10d

This is clearly true, and it makes trying to compare between universities almost impossible. I'm not sure the situation is so bad when considering different subject choices within a single university though.

1

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 10d

This dataset gives you data on student earnings 5 years after graduation. Shows that bioscientists make less than historians, geographers, or even politics. Something to think on when people are saying that kids should do real STEM subjects, and not silly humanities. www.thetimes.com/article/63c3...

Degrees that don’t even earn you minimum wage — how does yours rank?

Official data shows a huge disparity between the average salaries of leavers from different universities and courses. Use our search tool to compare

www.thetimes.com

3

Reposted by Ian Sudbery

K.A. Doore @kadoore.com · 10d

Hah. This is perfect.

How Do You Avoid Hitting People with your car
Avoid driving into people
Watch the road
- Watch the road with your EYES
- All the time
- Yes really all the time
- No games or movies
- No texting
- Sometimes it's boring, but you do need to watch the actual road with your eyes THE WHOLE TIME
Note: to play games or text or watch movies, take the bus. Bring headphones as courtesy.
Slow Down
- Speed limit means the MAXIMUM
- Do not drive faster
- You can drive slower
Note: This means YOU
Source: howdoyou.guide

3 9 33

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 10d

I mean traditionally the Fabians are a bunch of middle class do gooders, who believe that they know better than the workings class what's good for them. Seems like exactly who Farage et al would love to say the Labour Party were.

1 1 2

Ian Sudbery @iansudbery.bsky.social · 11d

Congratulations Haopeng! Very well deserved.